KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 27): The FBM KLCI settled for a marginal gain of 0.38 point, as plantation shares rose.

At 12:30pm, the KLCI settled at 1,683.47 on gains in IOI Corp Bhd and Kuala Lumpur Kepong Bhd. Both stocks were among Bursa Malaysia top gainers.

Across Bursa Malaysia, 1.25 billion shares, worth RM909.54 million, were exchanged. Decliners outnumbered gainers at 558 versus 245.

Analysts said the higher number of decliners in recent days had led to cautious sentiment.

“We maintain our expected trading range of between 1,692-1,669 for Friday, as investors are cautious over negative market breadth, with losers outpacing gainers for the last three trading days.

“In tandem with negative market sentiment, lower liners stocks are expected to see a technical retracement, in our view, as FBMACE & FBMSCAP indices are grossly overbought, implying a potential reversal of recent gains,” Hong Leong Investment Bank Bhd analyst Nick Foo Mun Pang wrote in a note.

Bursa leading decliners included Goldis Bhd and MNRB Holdings Bhd. The most actively-traded counter was China Stationery Ltd.

Among top gainers, Supermax Corp Bhd jumped 18 sen or 8% to settle at RM2.47, after the rubber glove manufacturer announced a net profit rise to RM38.46 million for the three months ended Sept 30, 2015. This compared to RM27.81 million a year earlier.

Meanwhile, APB Resources Bhd surged 17 sen or 13% to RM1.47, after the engineering process equipment manufacturer reported higher net profit at RM18.38 million for financial year ended Sept 30, 2015, versus RM12.14 million a year earlier.

Regional markets fell. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng declined 1.23%, Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.34%, while South Korea’s Kospi was down 0.15%.

Reuters reported Asian shares held firm and U.S. stock futures edged higher in early trade on Friday, as expectations of additional stimulus from the European Central Bank underpinned appetite for riskier assets, while the euro hovered near seven-month lows.

(Note: The Edge Research's fundamental score reflects a company’s profitability and balance sheet strength, calculated based on historical numbers. The valuation score determines if a stock is attractively valued or not, also based on historical numbers. A score of 3 suggests strong fundamentals and attractive valuations.)